The Lagos State Government on Thursday announced the re-opening of the Purple Mall located at Freedom Way, Lekki Phase I, Lekki for business activities.
The Honourable Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab gave the directive when he led top government officials to inspect the premises of Purple Mall on Thursday.
He stated that immediately after the incident was brought to his attention, the State Government called for an investigation and all supporting documents from Purple Mall.
“We called for all supporting documents and an investigation after the incident. And in fairness, at the end of the day, we found out that due diligence was observed and that they have the necessary paperwork”, Wahab said.
“The Mall cannot be sealed indefinitely while the other investigation is still ongoing. We were satisfied with our administrative end of the investigation. What we can’t control is the investigation that the Police are conducting. That’s an investigation about someone’s life”, he explained.
He described the fatal incident at the Purple Mall as very unfortunate where a young man lost his life after his vehicle allegedly came down from the top floor of the parking lot, leading to his death.
He added that the State Government was called out on social media after the incident, as not doing the due diligence before approving the building of the mall in the process, naming agencies like Lagos Safety Commission, Lagos State Building Control Agency and Lagos State Physical Planning Authority as culprits.
Wahab recalled that the facility was earlier shut by the State Government to give room for specialised investigation to determine the cause of the incident, assess compliance with building safety regulations, and identify any environmental or structural violations.